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Cracking Christmas Cocktails

‘Tis the season to be merry...with some cracking Christmas cocktails! There’s 5 delicious drinks to try, full of festive and seasonal flavour. The top three are quick and easy, ideal if you don’t have much time to prepare. The next 2 are a little bit special, take 5-15 mins to prepare beforehand and are well worth the effort!

Perfect for parties, a cosy #ginnightin, or just because, these Christmas Cocktails will become your go to recipes every year - you’re welcome!

THE TOP 3 LIFE IN THE FAST LANE COCKTAILS

FESTIVE MARTINEZ
A tasty Christmas twist on the classic martini, full of festive flavour and shaken, not stirred...

Add the Sloe and London Dry Gin to an ice filled glass. Pour in the lemon juice, sugar syrup and top with soda. Drizzle the liqueur inside the edge of the glass then garnish with berries and a slice of lemon.

SLOE ROYALE
One of the easiest to make and still a cocktail fit for a queen (or king), beautifully sweet and full of fizz.

Shake together over ice:
1 part Sloe Gin - we recommend Hayman’s Sloe Gin for a hint of cherries.
3 parts Prosecco/Champagne

Fine strain into a chilled champagne flute, top with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

THE TOP 2 TAKE YOUR TIME COCKTAILS

Trust us, make the time to give these two stunners a try!

CRANBERRY AND THYME G&T
Our friends across the pond came up with this for Thanksgiving and it’s so good we’ve stolen it. Try this seasonal, fresh and tasty G&T.

2 parts Gin - Sanction Gin works well for an extra a pop of citrus
5 parts Tonic

To make the cranberry syrup:
In a small saucepan, mix together the cranberries, sugar, water, splash of orange juice and vanilla extract. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, pressing the cranberries with the back of your spoon until they pop (beware - they'll splatter!). Add the fresh thyme and smash with the back of your spoon to release its flavour, done! Pour through a sieve and your syrup is ready. Note: The finished mixture is more runny than traditional cranberry sauce - it’s meant to be.

To make the cocktail:
Add 1 part cranberry syrup to each glass, top with plenty of ice, the gin and tonic. Stir gently and garnish with fresh thyme, simple!

MULLED G&G WINTER WARMER

Stay cosy with this seriously tasty gin and ginger winter warmer. This is perfect for a party, pre-make a batch of this beauty, keep it warm in a slow cooker/pan and let your guests help themselves - no more being chained to drinks duty!

Add all ingredients to a small pan and heat through, leave simmering for 5 mins. Don't let it boil or you'll evaporate the alcohol, noooo! Then remove from the pan 1 wedge of lime, cinnamon stick, star anise and slice of ginger for each glass/mug (if you’re making a batch pop this in mugs ready for use). Finally, pour your winter warmer over the garnish and enjoy.

* i. Parts made simple. Just stick to the ratios, so if you are making a jug ¼ of the jug could be 1 part, ½ the jug 2 parts. For 1 cocktail, 1 part would be approx 25ml, if you are making 2 cocktails, 1 part would be approx 50ml and so on - experiment and give it a try.

ii. If you don’t have a cocktail set you can shake the ingredients together in a pint glass using your hand or anything flat to seal the top and then strain through a sieve.

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